Convertible rocker or wheel borne toy



Feb. 14, 1950 LElT ET AL CONVERTIBLE ROCKER OR WHEEL BORNE TOY Filed Aug. 29, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 30 O f5 1 Z S I 1 ul I 1: I u

' 27 35 5/ 3 /5 44 444 Z5 26 .33 INVENTORS MAXWELL LE/T JZ/LES 15/7- ATTORNEYS Feb. 1950 M. LEIT ET AL 2,497,265

CONVERTIBLE ROCKER OR WHEEL BORNE TOY Filed Aug. 29, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS /7/IXWLL LE/T BY I W M KM,

ATTORN EYS Fbfm, 1950' M, LEIT ET AL 2,497,265

CONVERTIBLE ROCKER 0R WHEEL BORNE TOY Filed Aug. 29, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS flfiIXM/ELL 45/7- ATTOR EYS In order to lock the wheels 25 and 26 in their extended operative position shown in full lines in Figs. 1-3, there is provided a locking device comprising a U-shaped yoke 50 having transverse side arms which are slidable in respecof the curved rocker pieces respectively, and which are provided with offset ends 53 serving as limiting stops to prevent withdrawal of said side arms from said guide brackets. These arms 5| may be slid in the guide brackets 52 so as to extend over the handles 44 of the crank struc ture 41, when the wheels and 26 are extended into the operative position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. The locking yoke may be pulled out, so that its side arms 5| clear the handle 44, whereby these handles are permitted to be moved into position to retract or raise the wheels 25 and 25 into the dot and dash line position shown, above the curved rocker pieces l5.

- In one limiting position of the handles 44, when the wheels 25 and 26 are in lowered operative supporting position, said handles rest on the upper faces of the curved rocker pieces I5 on one side of the rock shaft 34. In the opposite limiting position, when the wheels 25 and 26 are raised into inoperative position, the handles 44 rest on the upper faces of the curved rocker pieces !5, but on the opposite side of the rock shaft 34. In this manner, the rocker pieces [5 serve to limit and predetermine the two adjusted positions of the supporting'structure;

In the full line position shown in Figs. 1, 2' and 3, the wheels 25 and 26 depend from the rocker structure l5, and the yoke 50 is in looking position with respect to the handles 44. In this position, the toy is wheel borne.

- When it is desired to convert the toy into a rocker, the yoke 50 is pulled to the right (Fig. 1), until its side arms 5| clear the handles 44. Then either handle 44 may be grasped and pulled upwardly. This upward movement of either handle 44 causes a counterclockwise rotation of the crank 4?, and thereby rotates the rock shaft 34' counterclockwise (Fig. 1). At the same time," this movement of the handle 44 is transmitted through the link 42 to the crank 40 and to the rock shaft 28, so that this rock shaft is similarly rotated counterclockwise (Fig. 1) The counterclockwise rotation of the two rock shafts 28 and 34 causes the wheel bearing arms 21 and 33 to be moved counterclockwise, so that the wheels 25 and 26 are swung bodily counterclockwise about the axes of the rock shafts 28 and 34, until these wheels are in the raised or retracted position above the curved'rocker pieces l5 shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. In this retracted position ofthe wheels 25 and 2B, the toy can be operated as a rocker-.- Also, in this retracted position, the linkage system interconnecting the wheels with the rock shaft are almost dead center position, so that they are self-locked this position, andcan only'be released by manip-f ulation of the handles-44 in a clockwisedirection- 4 from the dot and dash line position shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modified form of construction which, although employable in connection with a large toy of the type which can be mounted by the child, is particularly applicable to a miniature form of toy. In this form of construction, the bed or frame supporting structure of the toy comprises the curved rocker pieces 60, the rear ends of which respectively define upwardly extending posts 6| serrated to provide -firm anchorage into a leg of the toy to be attached to the structure. The front parts of the curved rocker pieces 60 have reversely curved sections 62 terminating in upward posts 63, also serrated for firm anchorage into the leg structive guide brackets 52 secured to theupper sides 'tures of the toyto be supported. The two curved rocker pieces 60 are rigidly interconnected by means of the crossbars 64 and 65. These cross frame bars 64 and 65 have ears or bracket extensions- 66 forming bearings for rock shafts 61 and 68. The rock shaft 61 has rigidly secured to the ends thereof beyond the outer sides of the rocker pieces 60 the arms 10, rotatably carrying at their outer ends the wheels 1|. The rocker shaft 68 has similarlysecured rigidly to the ends thereof beyond the outer sides of the rocker pieces 50 the arms 73, rotatably carrying at their outer ends the wheels 14.

The two rock shafts 61 and 68 are interconnected for rotation together by means of a link bar 1'! having rotatable sleeve connections at its ends to double crank conformations I8 and 19 formed intermediate of the ends of said rock shafts.

For locking the wheels ll, 14 into either operative or inoperative position, there is provided a leaf spring 8| fixed intermediate its ends to the crossbar 65 by a rivet 80, and having its ends curved to form catches 82 and 83. The end of the link 71 engaging the double crank 19 has a sleeve conformation 84, which embraces said double crank"!!! with a free rotatable fit, and which is adapted to be snapped into engagement with the spring catches 82 or 83, and held in locked'position thereby in either one of the extreme positions of the wheels 1| and T4.

In operative extended position of the wheels II and 14 shown in full lines in Figs. 4 and 5, the linkage interconnecting the two rock shafts 61 and 68 is almost in dead center position, and the sleeve 84 has a friction engagement with the catch 83, so that the wheels 'H and 14 will be locked in position for wheeled operation of the toy. In order to convert the toy into a rocker, all that is necessary is to force the link 1! upwardly (Fig. 5), and then actuate said link to rotate the rock shafts 61 and 58 until the sleeve 84 is snapped into frictional locking engagement with the catch 82. During this manipulation, the wheels H and I4 will be carried clockwise (Fig. 5), until they are in the retracted raised position shown in dot and dash lines above the curved rocker pieces 60. In this retracted position, the toy can be operated as a rocker.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the rocker structure is similar to that shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The wheels H and 14 are similarly supported by the arms 19 and 13 from rocker shafts 95 and 9|. The two rocker shafts and 99 are interconnected for operation in unison by means of a rod 94 pivotally connected'at 95 to a crank arm 56 rigid with the I ro'cl shaft 98 intermediate the ends thereof, and is pivotally connected at 91 to a crank arm 98 rigidly fixed to the rock shaft 9| intermediate its ends. The link 94 extends beyond the pivot connection 91 to form a handle I00, the end being reversely bent to form a transverse hand grasping section lili. The link 94 is curved as shown.

In the extended operative position shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the linkage interconnecting the two rock shafts 90 and 9| is almost in dead center position, so that the wheels H and '14 are locked against retraction. The retraction of the wheels "ii and 14, however, can be effected by proper manipulation of the handle I00.

In the retracted inoperative position shown in dot and dash lines, the wheels ll and 14 are also locked, but can be released for restoration into operative position by proper manipulation of the handle I05, as for example, by pressing down on the end of said handle. The handle I00 bearing against the rock shaft 9i during this manipulation will move the linkage out of substantially dead center position, so that the wheels H and Z6 can be restored into operation position shown in full lines.

As many changes can be made in the above device, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising a supporting rocker, a pair of parallel rock shafts supported on said rocker transversely thereof, and each extending from one side of the rocker to the other, a crank rigid with each of said rock shafts midway thereof, a single link pivotally interconnecting said cranks, a pair of arms rigidly connected at one end to the ends of each shaft, and a supporting wheel rotatably mounted at the other end of each of said arms, whereby said wheels may be operated simultaneously either into operative supporting position or into retracted inoperative position.

2. A toy as described in claim 1, comprising releasable means for locking said wheels in operative position.

3. A toy as described in claim 1, one of said cranks having rigid therewith and transversely of said rocker a handle projecting outwardly beyond one side of said rocker.

4. A toy as described in claim 1, one of said cranks having rigid therewith and transversely of said rocker a handle projecting outwardly beyond one side of said rocker, said rocker serving as a stop to limit said handle in both of said positions of said wheels.

5. A toy as described in claim 1, one of said cranks having rigid therewith a bar extending transversely of said rocker and projecting at both ends beyond the sides of said rocker to define handles, said toy comprising locking means for said wheels in operative position comprising a U-shaped slide bar, and guide brackets for the side arms of said U-shaped bar connected to said rocker, said side arms being adapted to be slid over said handles to lock said handles, or slid beyond said handles to clear said handles for manipulation.

6. A toy as described in claim 1, comprising a releasable spring snap lock for locking said wheels in one of said positions.

7. A toy as described in claim 1, comprising a leaf spring having a snap lock catch conformation, said cranks and said link forming part of a linkage means having a member movable therewith upon movement of said Wheels between limiting positions, and adapted to be automatically latched to said catch conformation when said wheels reach one of said positions.

8. A toy as described in claim 1, said link having a loose sleeve connection with one of said cranks, said toy comprising a leaf spring having a snap lock catch conformation at each end, said sleeve connection being adapted to be latched to said catch conformations respectively when said wheels reach said positions.

9. A toy as described in claim 1, said link extending lengthwise beyond one of said cranks to define a handle by which the toy can be wheeled.

10. A toy as described in claim 1, in which said cranks and said link extend substantially in dead center relationship in either of said positions, whereby said cranks and said link are substantially self-locked in said positions and can be released only by manipulation of said cranks or said link.

11. A toy as described in claim 1, in which the intermediate sections of said shafts are offset to form said cranks.

MAXWELL LEIT. JULES LEIT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 202,560 Longking et al Apr. 16, 1878 466,573 Platto Jan. 15, 1892 1,364,684 Beck Jan. 4, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 527,944 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1940 

